Show Me Competence or Make Me Feel Warm: The Impact of Green Brand Anthropomorphism on Consumers’ Purchasing Intentions

Green consumption is a key path to dealing with environmental problems and promoting sustainable development. Green brand anthropomorphism can build an emotional bond between green brands and consumers by giving brands human characteristics, providing a new framework for promoting green consumption. This study uses a between-subject experimental design to explore the impact of green brand anthropomorphism on consumers' purchasing intentions. Study 1 constructed an experimental framework of the impact of anthropomorphism (competence-oriented vs. warmth-oriented) on purchasing intentions and introduced non-anthropomorphism as a control group. It was found that brand anthropomorphism could improve consumers' green purchasing intentions more than non-anthropomorphism, and the overall effect of warmth-oriented anthropomorphism was better than that of competence-oriented anthropomorphism. It further confirmed the mediating role of psychological distance, that is, green brand anthropomorphism shortened the psychological distance between consumers and brands, thereby improving purchasing intentions. Study 2 adopted a 2 (anthropomorphism: competence-oriented vs. warmth-oriented) × 2 (product attributes: functional vs. hedonic) experimental framework to reveal the moderating role of product attributes. It was found that functional attributes were suitable for competence-oriented anthropomorphism, and hedonic attributes were suitable for warmth-oriented anthropomorphism, which could more effectively improve green purchasing intentions. It was further verified that the mediating effect of psychological distance was regulated by product attributes. This study verifies the applicability of the Stereotype Content Model in the field of green consumption, addressing the gap in green brand anthropomorphism research regarding insufficient evidence on the differences between "anthropomorphism types (competence-oriented vs. warmth-oriented)" and their underlying mechanisms. It further reveals how psychological distance serves as a key behavioral mechanism linking brand stimuli to consumers' green purchasing decision-making processes. Through two studies, it validates the effects of anthropomorphism types and their mediating mechanisms while also providing evidence for the moderating role of product attributes. This contributes a clearer explanatory framework for advancing brand anthropomorphism theory and informing sustainable marketing practices within the green consumption context.